The Orchid
by MercuryPilgrim
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki put up with a lot of things. Being called 'girly' was just one of them. Not that anyone would dare say it to his face. ANBU!Naruto
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliates. Anything that you recognise is property of its respective owners. Any relations to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

_Base/s:_ Naruto

_Title:_ The Orchid

_Summary:_ Naruto Uzumaki put up with a lot of things. Being called 'girly' was just one of them. Not that anyone would dare say it to his face. ANBU!Naruto NarutoIno

_Music used for inspiration: _Down and Out - Tantric

* * *

><p>"Ran? You awake?"<p>

There was a voice whispering to him. Why? Couldn't the voice see he was trying to sleep?

"Oi, _Ran!_"

He grunted and turned his head to the side. Maybe they would go away?

Poke. Poke poke. Poke poke poke.

Naruto Uzumaki stopped pretending to be asleep.

He opened one eye and glared. Not that anyone could see it.

"Same. Do you _mind_?"

His teammate snorted.

"I'm doing you a favour, you know how the Captain gets when she catches you sleeping."

"You should know how_ I_ get when you interrupt my sleeping." Naruto shot back, displaying _why_ it was a bad idea to wake him up when he was napping.

Same snorted again.

"Believe me, between you and the Captain, she wins hands down for scariness."

Naruto huffed.

"I can't see why."

Same clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's because you're girly. You just can't be scared of a girly guy."

Naruto, naturally, had to defend his manliness.

"I am _not._"

"Ran, you named your sword _Sōndansu no Kōgō." _His friend said flatly.

"Hey, I didn't come up with that! But I can't see what's wrong with it..."

Same sighed.

"It sounds like a very girly girl came up with it. Half the squad thinks you're either a crossdresser or gay."

"I am not gay! Nor am I a girl wearing a man's clothes!"

Same recalled the many, _many_ times they had had this argument.

"Maybe you're right."

Naruto was pleasantly surprised that his comrade had actually agreed with him. It was a nice feeling. Maybe now he could finally get some _respect _around-

"But you're still girly."

Or not.

* * *

><p>Naruto fidgeted under the stern gaze of his superior.<p>

Hana Inuzuka, or rather, Okojo, glared at him from behind her desk.

"You were sleeping in my briefing again."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to! I was just uh, really tired?" he offered.

The glare intensified.

"You job _Lieutenant_, is to be alert at all times."

Naruto hung his head.

"Yes Captain." He mumbled, sullen.

Hana eyed him before picking up a paper on her desk and handing it to him.

He skimmed over it, it was his daily schedule.

"Patrol for the whole afternoon?" he complained, still looking at the paper. "What did I do to deserve _that_?"

Hana smirked under her mask.

"Slept through my briefing. Now move your ass."

Naruto sighed again.

"Yes Captain."

* * *

><p>Naruto walked into the communal work area for Squad six and, spotting his target in the far corner, cupped a hand to his mouth.<p>

"Oi!" he called, "Same! Patrol, now!"

"Coming sir!"

He waited for his teammate to amble over and they collected their gear, Same strapping his ōdachi on his back, while Naruto did the same with his katana. He patted his ever present tessen that rested in holsters at his sides. He didn't generally use the sword much, preferring his senbon, taijutsu or his tessenjutsu. By all intents and purposes, he should have been good at Genjutsu but he could never get his head around it. If he admitted it to himself, it was worse than that. Frankly, his Genjutsu was _awful. _Too subtle. Even though senbon were hardly flashy...

Patting his pocket to make sure he had his preferred weapons and general paraphernalia, he and Same exited the building to do their morning patrol around the village.

Patrolling was a job most ANBU loathed with a passion. You walked around until your shift was over getting stared at and looking for trouble. Trouble was usually something trivial like a cat in a tree or a genin who'd fluffed a doton jutsu. In Naruto's case, he got stalked. Same, typically, found this to be highly amusing.

Same, true to his codename, had an affinity with water jutsu. Water aligned shinobi were rather rare in Konoha, with more being aligned to fire or earth. Same was the 'big hitter' of squad six. With his height and bulk, he easily dwarfed most normal people and the large sword on his back did nothing to detract from his intimidating aura. Needless to say, their path was clear as they made their rounds.

"Mister ANBU! Oh, please, I need your help!"

Naruto really hoped the doddery old woman was talking to some other ANBU that might be walking by.

Same turned towards her and just loud enough for him to hear, he heard his partner curse. He stifled a chuckle.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked, politely.

The old woman tottered over to them, he face the picture of worry.

"Oh, it's my grandson! He's somehow got stuck on top of the roof! The silly boy, I don't know _how_ he managed to get up there, he's only nine! What if he falls? Oh, I don't know what I'd do-"

Same soothed her.

"It's alright ma'am. My partner will go and get your grandson back for you."

Naruto felt distinctly betrayed.

After she told them where she lived, Naruto used shunshin to appear on the roof. A small boy was sitting there, playing with a toy glider. He jumped when the masked ANBU appeared in front of him.

"Your grandmother is very worried." He chided, taking a step forwards. The child, wide eyed, took one back.

"Careful there boy, you don't want to fall off the edge." Naruto warned. After all, there would be _paperwork_ if a kid died on his watch. That was unacceptable.

The kid finally opened his mouth.

"But I don' wanna..."

A vein ticked in the blonde's forehead.

"Listen kid, she's down there delaying our patrol until we get you back. Now, you _are_ coming with me."

Petulantly, the child shook his head, crossing his little arms.

Naruto glared under his mask. Not even _children_ were scared of him?

Faster than the child could see, Naruto picked him up by the scruff of his collar and jumped down from the roof. The kid wailed and struggled but Naruto held on tight, muttering as he walked towards his partner and the old woman.

Reaching them, he dumped the child in a heap at his grandmother's feet. Literally.

Same grinned under his mask.

"There you are ma'am." Turning to Naruto he said, "Now wasn't that fun Ran? Doing something for the good of others?"

Naruto gave him the finger, momentarily forgetting that the old woman hadn't left yet. She looked scandalised.

"Such obscenity! Young ladies should not be so rude!"

Same sniggered.

Naruto scowled.

"I'm not a 'young lady' ma'am."

She flushed.

"O-oh, my mistake. It's just your mask, it-" she trailed off, waving vaguely towards his face before apologising again.

Naruto sighed. His mask was plain save for a curling, dark green design that started at where his cheekbone should be and wound round his right eye, ending in a depiction of a flower, inked in red.

"It's alright ma'am, you're not the first to make the mistake." He said before turning on his partner. "And _you_. You should be more respectful to your superior officer! I'm putting you on standby when we get back."

Same grimaced. Standby was just as bad as patrol, if not worse. ANBU on standby sat, ready for a call that could come at any time to say they, or any member of their team were needed. It was a boring, draining job.

"Yes Lieutenant, sorry Lieutenant." He said, hanging his head.

"No more cracks about my sword either."

"Yes Lieutenant."

"Or jokes about 'flower power'."

"Yes Lieutenant."

Naruto nodded approvingly and dropped The Voice.

"Good. We'll be on our way now then ma'am." He nodded to the old woman who was still embarrassed at her mistake and set off walking at a brisk pace.

He _hated _being mistaken for a girl.

"I think it's the hair sir."

Naruto almost groaned. Same continued blithely as they walked.

"It's just that it's so long! I know you tie it back and all but-"

Naruto growled.

"Same! No gags about my hair or I'll make you spar with me."

Same fell silent.

Naruto had to agree though; his hair wasn't helping his manliness. It was long and worn in a thin, traditional samurai style ponytail, tied high on his head. His fringe flopped in front of his forehead in unruly locks, and blond bangs framed his face. It wasn't excessively manly like Same's buzz cut, but at least it wasn't tied in a _pink ribbon_. He had nightmares about Anko trying that with him. Scary woman.

As they made their way through the crowded, bustling marketplace, Naruto felt a small shiver run down his spine. He knew that feeling.

"There he is!"

This was followed by giggling and more whispering as the group of girls who tried to be stealthy as they followed the two.

He ground his teeth. Today was just not his day.

"No, there _she_ is!"

He heard Same muffle a snort.

"No, she's a guy!"

"She's a _she._ I want to be a kunoichi just like her!"

"What, mistaken for a guy?"

"No, strong! She's an ANBU lieutenant, and isn't oppressed by patriarchal males."

"I just think he's cute..."

"How do you know? _She _wears a mask all the time."

"He!"

Naruto turned his gaze forwards and tried to shut out the pitifully concealed conversation.

"You'd think they would have realised by now," Same began loudly, "that you can't be a female if you have no breasts."

The whispering paused.

"I could be wearing a wrap."

Same eyed him.

"You're not helping yourself saying stuff like that."

"Just pointing out the obvious. If I _was_ a girl, and trying to hide my gender, I'd likely wear a wrap." He said smartly. "Unless I had a _really_ flat chest."

Same chuckled. Naruto nudged him subtly with an elbow.

"Thanks." He murmered.

"Don't worry about it. I know you're not a girl, even if you _are_ girl_y_."

"I'll show you just how girly _Sōndansu no Kōgō _is if you don't shut your mouth."

Same shut his mouth.

They walked on in relative peace around the village, only having to extract a blubbering genin from a small mountain. All was well.

* * *

><p>Splitting off from Same, he threw himself down on the chair behind his desk, propped his feet up and skimmed his schedule for the day.<p>

Patrol, _check._

Paperwork. Lovely.

Grumbling and grabbing a pen and a sheet of the stack, he set to work.

After two and a half hours, the only fun he'd had was filling in the form that bound Same for the standby desk. Revenge was so very sweet.

Reaching for another paper he jumped when he heard Hebi call him.

"Oi lieutenant!" he shouted. "We got to get going in ten minutes!"

Naruto blinked. Already? He waved to his comrade to show he understood before rolling his shoulders and calming the buzz of anticipation that coiled in his stomach.

It was only late afternoon but it would take at least a few hours to reach the Land of Orchards where their mission would take place.

Ambling into the armoury, he ignored the quick salutes sent his way in favour of strapping on his weapons. _Sōndansu no Kōgō _was slung across his back, its green wrap providing some colour to his monochrome ANBU regulation clothing. His uniform was the standard style, save for the long sleeves and tight gloves he wore as a necessity. His kunai holster was full and his senbon pouch was almost overflowing. He patted his pocket, checking his scrolls were where they should be. He unholstered his faithful tessen, looking over the edges that gleamed in the light before slotting them back in their holsters. Lastly, he picked up two small, dull brown jars and attached them to his belt, making sure their lids were securely fastened. He popped the lids and checked the contents. There was enough.

He cracked his neck and stretched.

He wasn't leading this mission, another lieutenant had been in charge of the operation and had pushed to be allowed command. Naruto didn't mind. As long as they were competent, it didn't matter who led the mission, as long as it got done.

Deciding everything was ready, his body flickered and he arrived in what was affectionately known as 'departure lounge three'. It was a concrete box with a tunnel at one end, leading out to a point somewhere beyond the walls of Konoha. There was a large number three stamped in black paint on one gray wall. Each 'departure lounge' was exactly the same as all the others, each leading to a different point outside the Leaf Village.

There was already a few ANBU there, milling around in groups or standing by themselves, readying themselves in their own way.

Naruto found a quiet spot and stood still, closing his eyes. Slowly, at a fraction of his real speed, he began to run through his exercises.

One ANBU, apparently a new addition, nudged his comrade and nodded towards the lone ANBU in the corner.

"What's he doing?" he asked quietly.

The other man, who was sharpening a tanto, looked up.

"That's Ran, Lieutenant of squad six. He always does that before a mission." He explained.

The new guy, with a mask shaped like bear, looked on curiously.

"But what's he _doing?_ It looks like he's dancing in slow motion. All you'd need is some music!_"_

"He's not dancing, that's his taijutsu style." The veteran explained, stopping his sharpening and looking up himself.

"Really? I've never seen a style like that before." the one in the bear mask admitted. "It doesn't look that powerful."

The older man snorted and the newbie jumped to correct himself.

"Not that is isn't effective! It just looks like it doesn't take the fight seriously." He said.

The veteran scoffed.

"That's the point. Have you any idea how frustrating it is when your opponent just keeps dancing around all your attacks? What good is a powerful hit when it never connects? His style is damnned hard to fight against because it makes you angry, and when you're angry, you make mistakes. That, and those who use that style can twist their way out of pretty much anything." He shook his head. "Damn annoying it is."

The rookie didn't really know what to say to that.

"Oh."

* * *

><p>"Ran, cover the left wing."<p>

Naruto nodded, serious.

The team got into position. There were several teams deploying with them. According to the mission briefing Naruto had slept through, they were making the final push on eradicating a particularly nasty crime syndicate operating out of the Land of Orchards. Having been gathering intelligence for weeks before hand and subtly manipulating events, they had prime conditions to strike. Naruto's team were going after the Oyabun of the Akai Ryuu while the other teams were systematically storming the known safe houses, taking out the other senior members of the clan. The instructions were to send a message so the assassination was to look like just that.

"Move out!"

The teams heard the command and one after the other, took off at high speed down the tunnel and through the dense forest, illuminated only by the setting sun.

Night had fallen by the time Naruto's team had reached their destination. There was no talking, even over the communication devices in their ears. Hand signs told them to spread out and cover all exits. They did so, Naruto slipping several senbon between his fingers. The house they were preparing the break into wasn't a house at all, it was a mansion. A few hand signs and they were scaling the walls silently, black shadows apparently defying the laws of gravity clinging to the walls of the building.

A single innocuous sound, like a cicada made them stop. Their leader, who had made the noise, gestured to a window that was half open, presumably to let in the cool night air. A stupid, rookie mistake.

In the space of a few seconds, it had been assessed and the team were dropping soundlessly from the ledge onto the plush rug that lay underneath.

They crept along the hallway, grateful for the large, opulent decorations of samurai armour and the like that gave them the shadows that were their trusted allies.

They dodged guards and hearing one make a passing remark on the location of the Oyabun, stole down the hallway and towards the training hall.

One by one, each member of the team peeled off, taking their positions to offer surveillance and cover. Naruto crept forwards, towards the mezzanine that overlooked the sparring mats. Guards patrolled along it and the security, despite their ease in breaking in, was tight. These men were yakuza, not shinobi.

He identified his target practicing with his katana below. Naruto studied his technique. He was good, very good. Sparing a glance to his left, he saw a guard rounding the corner and he acted fast. Snapping his wrist out, he sent a coil of high tensile ninja wire to wrap around one of the rafters in the high ceilinged room. With a jerk, he was yanked from his crouching position and into the air. Timing himself carefully, he alighted on the thick rafter with barely a sound. He stowed the wire and watched as the guard finished rounding the corner and walked where he had been moments before.

He let out a breath.

He waited for a few moments, studying his targets movements. Then, the Oyabun paused in his katas and, panting, let his katana drop to his side. Naruto struck.

With a precise flick of his fingers, three senbon impacted in the soft flesh. One was embedded in his windpipe, cutting off his air supply, another paralysed his voice box and preventing him from screaming. The other hit a specific pressure point in his neck, killing him. He was dead even as his body was slumping to the floor.

It took a few seconds before a guard noticed and raised the alarm. Naruto and his team were already gone.

"Sir?" the head guard asked while running towards the form of their leader. "Sir?"

He reached the body a moment before his comrades and quickly turned their boss over, hoping to save him. The guard drew in a sharp breath. There was a look of surprise on their Oyabun's face, and three long needles embedded in his neck.

The call went up.

"Assassin!"

The guard cursed.

"Find them!" he snarled. Another guard was looking up.

"Sir, look!" he exclaimed, pointing.

The head guard looked. There, floating innocently downwards was a single white orchid flower. It twirled innocuously to the ground and settled at a guard's feet. His body shook, his fists clenched.

"_Ran._"

* * *

><p>After the debriefing, in which Naruto loudly expressed the ease of the mission, Hana finally allowed them to leave. Naruto took off for his own house at a leisurely walk, enjoying the night air.<p>

Arriving, he let himself in and, flicking on lights as he went, headed immediately for his favourite room in the house. His garden. Finally taking off his mask and breathing deeply he inhaled the scent of the many flowers that grew in the greenhouse like room. The greenhouse itself was beautiful. It was old and wrought iron, with towering panes of glass that let in shafts of sunlight when it was day. The room itself was big, at least the size of a small house. Plants sat in perfectly arranged beds, overflowing with blossoms and fruit. Ivy and other wall climbing plants inched their way up the skeleton of the greenhouse and dropping leaves and petals on the sun bleached paths. It was like an immaculate jungle, contained within glass. The air smelt of nature and fresh earth, overlaid with scents of flowers. The faint sound of running water could be heard.

He busied himself with pottering around the plants, watering one here, pruning a little there. He reached his favourites, the orchids. There was a place missing where there should have been a plant. Reaching into a little pot, he pulled out a seed and planted it where the missing plant was, adding a little water and his own special plant fertilizer before filling the hole in with earth. Content his work for that evening was done, he turned to leave, washing his hands in a cracked sink near the door.

Lazily snagging the mask from where he dropped it earlier, he yawned as his mind entertained thoughts of sleep.

* * *

><p>A week later, Naruto swore as he ran as fast as he could. He was late. Again. He hadn't meant to oversleep, he just sort of... did.<p>

Hana was not pleased. In fact she threw a kunai at him and yelled at him before ordering him to go see the Hokage. Naruto did as he was told.

The way he figured it, the Hokage was either going to give him Ramen or a mission. Either one got him away from his Captain and that could only be a good thing.

He cleared his throat, the receptionist looked up from where she had been doing her nails. She squeaked.

"I'm here to see the Hokage." He informed her as she stuttered out apologies.

Flushing, the woman led him up to the office before knocking and bowing, leaving him alone. He heard the old, strong voice of the Hokage asking him to enter. He did so, throwing himself down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. The Hokage sighed.

"Naruto, have you still not learned any manners?" he chided, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Absolutly none." Naruto supplied, cheerful.

"Never change Naruto." Sarutobi chuckled before sobering. "As you no doubt know, the academy graduates have become genin and are now training with their jonin teachers. And I'm sure you also know that Sasuke Uchiha is among them." He paused and gave Naruto a serious look. Naruto nodded, equally sombre. "He's on a team with Sakura Haruno and Ryou Takashi."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I though Shikamaru Nara got the lowest grade in that class?" he asked.

The Hokage sighed, slumping in his chair.

"He did. But the council didn't want to split up the InoShikaCho team they so love."

Naruto snorted.

"Just because their fathers worked well, doesn't mean they will."

"Oh I don't know," Sarutobi said, "They seem to be doing all right so far. Now, recently Team seven was given a C-rank mission to Wave." He held up a withered hand to stall Naruto's protests. "I know. But they work together very well and they have Kakashi with them. I thought they were more than capable of doing a simple escort." The Hokage sighed, looking every bit his age. "As it turns out, our client wasn't entirely truthful about the danger they would be facing. Kakashi contacted me asking for reinforcements. Apparently they're not just facing bandits, but Gato, the shipping magnate and all the ninja he can hire as well. And that includes Zabuza Momochi."

Naruto's eyebrows raised.

"The 'Demon of the Mist'? I see. I assume you want to send me."

The Hokage nodded gratefully.

"Kakashi is a damn good ninja, but even he can't protect the bridge builder, his team and fight a ninja like Zabuza at the same time. You leave in an hour. I shall inform your Captain."

Naruto stood and nodded professionally. He made to leave but paused.

"Hey granddad," he called, Sarutobi turned to him, "Water my plants yeah?"

The Hokage laughed and shooed him from his office.

Smile fading from his face, Naruto took off for his headquarters as fast as he could. He needed to prepare.

Just as the Hokage had said, he left the village gates barely minutes before his allotted hour was up. The two gate guards saluted him and marked his passage in their book.

Naruto took off at a run, leaving dust trails behind him.

* * *

><p>Kakashi groaned as he opened his eyes. His body was still weak from his chakra exhaustion.<p>

"Sensei!" he heard Sakura's voice and she rushed to help him up. As she supported him, they walked into the little room where Tsunami was serving Sasuke, Ryou and Tazuna some broth, while the two genin talked.

"Sensei." Sasuke dipped his head in greeting, Ryou gave him a quick wave as his mouth was full.

Kakashi sat with a grunt, wincing as he moved.

"So," Ryou began when he'd swallowed, "when are we going after that Zabuza guy? We'll kick his ass with all the training we've done!"

Kakashi shook his head.

"We won't be kicking anyone's ass until the reinforcements I requested arrive." He said, halting their thoughts.

"Reinforcements?" Sasuke asked, apparently not happy about it.

Kakashi nodded.

"I'm in no condition to fight and none of you can take on Zabuza _and_ that hunter nin. So I sent a hawk back to Konoha yesterday."

"We don't need reinforcements!" Ryou protested.

"They will only get in our way." Sasuke agreed.

Kakashi chuckled. Sakura frowned.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"If I think they're sending who I think they're sending, that won't be a problem."

"Who-"

"And old friend."

* * *

><p>Naruto panted as he finally slowed to a halt. It was late evening and the sun had all but disappeared.<p>

He surveyed the town. Poverty was rampant and misery thickened the air until it was like tar. He shook his head and ignoring the curious and apprehensive looks sent his way, made his way to the address marked on the scroll.

Coming to what he presumed was it, he knocked on the door. He was grateful for the long sleeves and gloves he wore, as the night was bringing a chill.

He was broken out of his thoughts when the door was pulled cautiously open. He looked down. There was a small boy about ten years old staring up at him with something like fear through the crack. Finally.

"Y-you're a Konoha shinobi?" he asked and Naruto was slightly impressed.

"Yes."

The little boy looked thoughtful.

"H-how do I know? You're wearing a mask."

Naruto raised an eyebrow under his mask. The kid had some brain cells after all.

"Ran?"

A voice came from inside and the boy jumped and turned around to fins Kakashi, looking tired but standing up.

"Ran!" he said, his visible eye crinkling into a smile.

"Kakashi. Nice to see you too." Naruto chuckled. "And what's this, got yourself injured have we?"

"Ahh, you know how it is." The older man lamented.

Naruto grunted.

"Do I ever."

Kakashi turned to the little boy.

"It's okay Inari, he's with us."

The boy nodded uncertainly but opened the door wider so that Naruto could come in.

"Sensei?"

Sakura, Ryou and Sasuke were standing in the hallway, looking from their teacher to the newcomer.

Kakashi smiled at them, leaning on the wall for support.

"Team, this is Ran. He's our reinforcements."

Ryou raised a dark eyebrow.

"One guy?"

Sasuke looked like he agreed with Sakura looked pensive, torn between trusting her teacher and siding with her crush.

"One guy." Kakashi confirmed, not giving them any more information. He winced when he tried to move and Naruto was by his side in a flash.

"Don't over exert yourself." He said sternly. "Your poor, fragile body can't take it yet."

Kakashi chuckled weakly.

"Since when are you ever the voice of reason?"

Naruto scoffed.

"Since you became a moron apparently. Zabuza should have been a piece of cake for you."

Sakura was shocked at hearing this ANBU speak in such a way to their teacher.

Ryou was trying not to laugh.

Naruto turned to them.

"Any of you know any medical ninjutsu?" he asked, hopeful. Sakura raised a weak hand.

"I-I know a little bit."

"That's more than me then. Take a look at this idiot. I need to talk to your teammates and get the situation here."

Nothing happened.

Naruto chivvied them into action.

"_Now_ would be a good time."

Sakura rushed forwards, flushing and took her teachers weight, helping him to where he had been resting.

Naruto turned to the boys but before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"Hello?" a young woman was standing in the doorway, looking a little confused. Naruto noted she was rather pretty.

He turned to her.

"Sorry for the intrusion ma'am. I'm the reinforcements from Konoha."

"I...see." she said uncertainly.

"I won't intrude any more than I have to ma'am, I just need to speak with the team here."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, a small smile forming on her lips. "You can stay as long as you want, although you may have to share a room with Kakashi."

He gave her a short bow.

"It's much appreciated ma'am."

She waved a hand.

"My name is Tsunami, drop the ma'am."

He nodded in acquiescence.

"My codename is Ran."

She nodded bowed and left them alone.

Ryou spoke after a moment of silence.

"Your codename is _Ran_?" he asked, incredulous.

Sasuke would never admit it, but he wanted to know too.

Naruto sighed.

"Yes, it is."

"_Orchid?_" Ryou was obviously having a hard time wrapping his head around this.

"Yes. My codename is Ran, my mask has a flower on it and my sword is called _Sōndansu no Kōgō. _Yes, I know people think I'm a girl. No, I am not a girl cross-dressing as a guy. No, I am not gay. Yes, I know my hair is long."

Ryou blinked.

"Empress of the Thorn Dance?"

"_Yes."_

"That's um..."

"Girly?" Sasuke finished with a slight smirk.

Naruto glared at them. This is why he didn't like dealing with children. Even if they were the same age as him.

"You do realise that I'm going to be filling in for your sensei until he's back on his feet right?"

"Yeah, so?" Ryou looked confused.

Naruto smiled nastily beneath his mask. They couldn't see it, but some of his intent must have leaked through.

"That means I'll be training you. I wonder, you're going to need practise avoiding a sword. I can help with that."

Ryou paled. He backed away, holding his hands up.

"Nah, we're okay thanks." He assured.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yes! I uh... gotta go check on Kakashi sensei!" and he was out of the door faster than the eye could follow Naruto snickered. Sasuke looked unimpressed.

"C'mon," Naruto said, turning back towards the Uchiha heir, "I need all the information you have on the situation here."

* * *

><p><em>-<em>_End Chapter-_

_How is it? I had this idea for a while and it's finally put into action. And yes, I'm being deliberately mysterious with Naruto's skills. But don't worry, he'll show you some soon. _

_Also, I'm a moron. I have an exam tomorrow that I haven't studied for and I used all of today to write this crap. My mind wouldn't let me NOT write it all down. Why am I so _stupid_?_

_As this is just a hobby story, updates will likely be infrequent and it won't be up to the quality of my other stuff. Just to warn you. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliates. Anything that you recognise is property of its respective owners. Any relations to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

_Base/s:_ Naruto

_Title:_ The Orchid

_Summary:_ Naruto Uzumaki put up with a lot of things. Being called 'girly' was just one of them. Not that anyone would dare say it to his face. ANBU!Naruto NarutoIno

_Music used for inspiration:_ The Battle Song – Narnia OST

* * *

><p>Naruto breathed carefully. In. Out. And in. And out.<p>

He moved as though he was dancing. He knew it sounded cliché, but his style looked more like he was in a hip hop contest than anything else. Or so Same said anyway. Capoeira was like that.

Unlike Kakashi's taijutsu style or Might Gai's Strong Fist, Naruto relied extensively on dodging and fast, unpredictable attacks. Because of this, it required him to keep his body in top shape and to keep his already impressive flexibility at its peak. So here he was, out before anyone else in their right mind would be awake, doing his exercises. As he limbered up, shivering slightly in the chill breeze, he pondered his current situation. Taking out Zabuza and his accomplice should have been relatively simple, even taking into account Zabuza's formidable skill. While Naruto knew he was still not as skilled as Kakashi, he didn't begrudge his friend. After all, he still had a while to go yet.

His body going through the motions of his exercises automatically, his mind drifted to thinking about other things. Like why his peach tree wasn't growing as it should! He'd given the damn thing all the water, light and special Naruto Plantfeed™ it could want, so why wasn't it growing properly? Stupid tree.

The mysteries of life.

* * *

><p>Tazuna didn't look impressed.<p>

"_You're_ these kids' backup?" he asked, sceptic.

Naruto nodded.

"I see. And how is one man going to make a difference?"

Naruto promptly forgot all his negative feelings towards the bridge builder. Tazuna had been elevated into the status close to a god in his mind. He knew he was male! _Result!_

"You _are_ a guy right?"

Naruto sighed. He wasn't sure why he bothered.

"Yes, I am male. And I'm more than qualified."

"Uh huh." Tazuna didn't seem convinced.

Naruto huffed. Tazuna came crashing down from his godly pedestal and smashed into the earthly ground.

"I'm going to guard the bridge with Sakura."

And with that, he turned and took off at speeds no normal eye could follow.

* * *

><p>"Yo."<p>

Sakura almost jumped a mile as the voice sounded from behind her. She spun around, ready to deck whoever it was when she saw the now familiar mask.

"Ran." She greeted, not really sure how to deal with the ANBU. She'd never spoken to one before.

"'Sup." He answered lazily, waving in her direction.

They stood in silence for a while, before Sakura got the urge to speak. It took her a few moments to gather enough courage to do so.

"Umm, Ran?"

"Hmm?"

She faltered.

"What's it like?" she asked before quickly clarifying. "Being an ANBU I mean."

He cocked his head to one side, their hair shifted in the slight breeze and the sound of the workers sounded faint in their ears.

"It's good, I suppose." He said and she got the feeling that if she could see under the mask, his eyebrows would have been raised.

"Oh." She shifted, a little uncomfortable. "I just wondered what sort of thing you do. I see ANBU around all the time and I know you get sent on really dangerous missions... It's just that I don't really know what you _do._"

He waved a lazy hand.

"It's not as glamorous as you're probably thinking. It's a bit of a messy job actually, and some can't handle that."

"What do you mean?" she asked, hoping he didn't mean what she thought he meant.

"Well, some people find it hard to detach themselves from or justify their actions. We do messy jobs all the time; an assassination here, wiping out a bandit camp there... and that's just the day work!" he joked and she gave a weak smile.

"The real stuff is much worse. There is one thing I hate more than anything else about my job." He continued, sobering as his voice took on a hollow quality. She leaned forward.

"What could be so bad?" she asked softly.

"Something so horrifying, it chills me to the bone. I... I hate it so much..."

She leaned forward even further. She was interested but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"What is it?"

He paused before answering.

"...paperwork."

Sakura face vaulted.

"You jerk!" she shouted, smacking him on the shoulder as he laughed. She realised who she'd just called 'jerk' and hit and rushed to apologise. He waved her off with a chuckle.

"Nah, paperwork is pretty awful, but we're Black Ops for a reason. Why did you want to know?" he asked, interested. "Thinking of joining up?"

She blushed at his teasing, finding herself relaxing.

"No. It's just that you guys seem really strong. I mean, they sent one man as backup for a whole team!"

He cocked his head.

"Where are you going with this?" he inquired.

Her shoulders slumped. She could hear the gentle sound of the water passing under the half finished bridge and the laughter of one of the workers as his friend told a joke.

"Like I said, you're really strong. I'm surrounded by superhuman strong people!" she vented. "I... I'm not strong."

She wasn't sure why she was telling a complete stranger this. Maybe it was just that, because he was a stranger, she felt safer. She might not ever see him again, it was less embarrassing.

"Oh?" he said challengingly. "Who says?"

Slightly put off by his rather childish response, she continued to explain.

"I always loose spars with my team. Heck, even Ryou beats me! I know I'm kinda clever, but I have a pitiful amount of chakra-"

She was cut off as the ANBU held up a hand.

"What's wrong with not having much chakra?"

She looked at him oddly.

"Well... everything. I can't pull out big justu, I can't add variety to my fights, I-"

Once again, she was cut off.

"Fights aren't always about 'big jutsu' you know." He said sagely. "A small amount of chakra can be a good thing, like for your control for instance. Kakashi taught you the tree walking exercise right? You were good at it weren't you?"

She nodded. He carried on.

"See? Better control is worth more than a huge chakra pool any day. At least in my book."

She looked at him shyly, hopeful.

"Really?"

He nodded decisively.

"Yup. To tell you the truth, my chakra system isn't exactly average either." He admitted.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously? But you're like, really strong right?"

He laughed.

"I guess so. But I guess you haven't seen me fight yet, so you wouldn't know. Due to an... incident in my childhood, my chakra system has always been a little funky. I can't draw on large amounts at once. I have a pretty good amount stored, but I can't access it. So no flashy jutsu for me."

She was floored.

"But- but- then how do you fight?"

He chuckled again.

"With my fists of course. Well, and several sharp, pointy things. And poison, lots of poison."

"Poison?"

He nodded proudly.

"Yeah, pretty much all my weapons are poisoned in some way. It's why I wear the gloves. I make my own poison see? So there's hardly ever an antidote ready for the enemy. Unless I give it to them of course. Not that that's likely."

Sakura was officially impressed.

"You can make your own poisons?"

"My name's Ran. My sword is called _Sōndansu no Kōgō, _my mask has a flower on it. Notice a theme here?" he teased.

She huffed.

"All right, I get it. You're plant guy."

"Yes Sakura," he said dryly, "the name of the big bad ANBU who strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies is _'plant guy'_."

She giggled and wondered why she ever felt intimidated by the man standing opposite her.

She was about to speak when he held up a hand sharply. In an instant, she could tell something was wrong. She tensed.

"What is it?" she asked, fingering a kunai.

He didn't answer, but pressed a finger to the earth and concentrated.

"Five. No, six. Not ninja. Heading towards us from the... south west." He said after a moment. Sakura nodded and put aside that trick for later.

"Should I alert the others?"

He shook his head.

"Nah, we can handle them."

She was uncertain.

"But, six?"

He laughed again.

"Don't worry, these ones are mine. You protect the civilians. Get them off the bridge and into safety." He ordered.

She almost protested but reminded herself that this was a superior officer and not to be disobeyed.

As she herded the confused workers off the bridge as fast as she could, she saw the bandits arrive. The workers were running back to their homes and as she could see all six bandits on the bridge, felt confident they would get back safely. Kunai in hand, she crept back towards the bridge but didn't join the ANBU, knowing she would likely get in the way. So she watched, tense.

Naruto sighed as the six bandits arrived on the bridge. He'd been enjoying taking with Sakura, finding her to be pleasant enough, if a little selfish when it came to her teammates and obsessive about the Uchiha.

He'd point her in the right direction.

He was jerked out of his reverie by Thug One addressing him.

"You gonna fight us, girlie?"

Naruto sneered.

"Fight? That would imply it will be two sided battle. So I'm afraid I won't be _fighting_ you. And I'm _not_ a girl."

The one that appeared to be their leader frowned.

"I don't like your tone, _pretty boy_."

Another member of the troupe tugged his bosses sleeve.

"Uhh boss? That's a ninja." E advises, not taking his eyes off Naruto. The ANBU mentally complimented him. Clever boy.

"I noticed. There are still more of us than there is of him." 'Boss' grunted.

"Nuh uh, that's an ANBU ninja. They're _dangerous_!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow under the mask. He was getting bored.

"Do you gentlemen mind? I'm getting bored."

'Boss' growled. Then he hefted his sword. Naruto smiled.

"You know, you likely aren't worth it, but what the hell." He commented, reaching for the twin holsters at his hips.

"Huh?" was the intelligent response.

"A good friend said something to me once that I think fits quite nicely." He started before pulling out his twin tessen and flicking them open. The thugs looked confused before the light of the watery sun glinted on the sharpened edges. They tensed.

Naruto's smile became very sharp.

"There ain't no kill like _over_kill."

* * *

><p>Sakura refused to look.<p>

She didn't know what was worse, what she knew was there, or what her mind was supplying her.

She steeled herself. Ran wouldn't be afraid. He would be such a worthless, wimp of shinobi.

She looked. It wasn't as bad as she had thought. There was blood, and it stained the new wood of the bridge a horrible brownish red. The bodies were lying in their own pools of red, still. Their corpses weren't terribly disfigured, nor were they contorted grotesquely and for that, she was grateful. She wasn't stranger to death. Once, when she was younger, her family had taken her on a holiday a little way outside of the village. They had been attacked by bandits. A passing chuunin on his way back to the village had saved them, but had given the young girl nightmares instead. Sakura could deal with it, if she tried. Logically, she knew ninja killed. She knew they could _be_ killed. But it was one thing seeing the carnage from afar, and seeing it up close. By a man who you knew, and on your mission.

She scanned the bridge again and she saw Ran. He wasn't injured, that much she could tell. Nor was he covered in gore, there was however, a distinct blood platter running down one side of his porcelain mask, making the flower inked into it look like it was crying blood.

She shook herself. She was getting overdramatic. Levering herself up from the undergrowth from where she was hiding, she carefully made her way over to her- teammate? Backup? She settled on friend.

He was standing over something, a body, and his foot was pressing down on its neck. She realised one must still have been alive.

As she drew closer, she could hear their conversation.

"The location, if you would?" Ran said amiably.

"Go to hell!" the thug spat, struggling.

Ran shook his head.

"I asked you for the location. I'd rather not ask again."

The thug sneered.

"Go die, shinobi scum!"

The ANBU sighed.

"Original." Pressure was applied to the man's throat and he began to choke. He scrabbled despite his wounds but Ran's foot held firm. Eventually, the ANBU let up. The bandit gasped for air.

"Feeling a little more talkative?" the ANBU offered. The curses he got in return made him chuckle.

Sakura watched in fascination.

"No? Pity."

In a flash, the foot was removed and Ran had the bandit by the throat. He struggled, but was no real match for the strength of the ninja.

Ran reached into his pouch and withdrew a single senbon. He made a show of examining it, running a gloved finger along its length. His captive began to squirm.

The Special Ops agent moved what would have been his mouth close to his captives ear.

After a mere moment, the man on the floor was spilling all he knew about the location of Gato, right down to the placement of his security guard.

With a quick jab, the senbon was in his neck and he slumped, boneless onto the wooden slats.

Ran looked up.

"I'm sorry you had to see this." He said and sounded sincere. "Now you know why I said ANBU work is dirty work."

Sakura took a few moments to gather herself before replying.

"It's alright. I would have seen it eventually. Better get my freakout over and done with now and not in the middle of a fight, yeah?" she offered shakily.

Ran nodded and then spoke again and Sakura was sure she heard something like relief in his voice.

"You're a smart girl. Let's get back."

He offered to help her walk, her legs were a little like jelly.

She gently pushed his hand away and walked on her own.

He nodded, smiling a little under his mask, and let her.

* * *

><p>Kakashi looked penetratingly at the ANBU when his student locked herself in her room, her face pale. From the blood splatter on his mask, he could guess what had happened.<p>

He turned to the others in his team who were staring at the blood with something like fascination. Kakashi could see Sasuke was tense, his hands balled into fists.

"Sasuke, Ryou." He called softly. They turned their attention to him. "Will you go and check on Sakura? She needs some familiar faces."

Solemn, they nodded and left.

Ran threw himself down next to his friend. With one hand, he pried the blood stained mask from his face. Underneath, he wore a grey Kakashi style face mask that covered the whole of his lower face and neck.

Kakashi chuckled.

"A right pair we are."

Ran chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry she had to see that."

Kakashi nodded.

"So am I. But better now than later." He said, knowing the wisdom in his words.

Ran reached up and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"I need to go clean my tessen, I'll be back soon." He said, sounding like he didn't much want to move.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows.

"You used your tessen on them? Were they ninja?"

"Nope. I was _really_ bored."

The jonin snorted and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

There was comfortable silence for a moment before the younger broke it.

"You're a good teacher you know."

Kakashi hummed, not moving.

"You are." Naruto said again firmly. "You did alright with me didn't you?"

"I'm reserving judgement on you."

Naruto chuckled and tried to sound offended.

"You don't believe in me Captain? My heart, it hurts, right here."

Kakashi chuckled.

"I'm not your Captain anymore Ran, you know that."

Naruto leant back and relaxed his muscles.

"I know. Force of habit."

There was more comfortable silence. The faint murmur of voices was coming from the bedroom where Team 7 were. They could have heard every word had they wished to, but they didn't, letting the children have their privacy.

"You up for a spar tomorrow?" Kakashi asked suddenly.

"I guess." Naruto shrugged. "Are _you?_"

"I'm fine. You're such a mother hen." The jonin grumbled, causing his colleague to laugh. "I'll send the team off tomorrow to guard the bridge then."

"Good plan."

Kakashi cracked open his visible eye to see his partner leaning back with his eyes closed.

"I want to see how much you've improved. Bet you still can't beat me though."

Naruto chuckled.

"We'll see."

* * *

><p>Kakashi was pouting. Naruto was laughing.<p>

"Shut up." Kakashi said petulantly. He would have crossed his arms if he thought he would have been able to get away without being teased.

Naruto kept laughing.

He'd lost, although he hadn't really expected anything else, but it was made all better. Tsunami just had be make that comment didn't she? He swore he loved that woman.

"Hair gel my _ass_." The jonin grumbled.

Naruto was still laughing.

Kakashi's arm snaked out to smack his friend, but the ANBU dodged. Kakashi scowled.

Finally, his ribs aching, Naruto's laughter tapered off into chuckles.

"I can't believe she asked me that!" Kakashi vented.

"Well, you do have very nice um... tall, hair." Naruto said, his lips working furiously under his mask. They entered the house and saw Team seven relaxing in the main room. They paid them little attention. Sasuke was staring out of the window, brooding. Ryou was shuffling a pack of cards and Sakura was reading a book lent to her by Tsunami. She was blushing as she turned the pages.

"I do _not_ use my lightning jutsu to style my hair!"

They all looked up sharply as their sensei ranted to the masked ANBU. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Wha-?" Ryou started before he was cut off.

"You're so mean. You laugh at my misery." Kakashi said, pointing childishly at Ran.

"I know, I'm your friend. I'm _supposed_ to laugh at your misfortune." He explained, causing Ryou to nod in agreement,

"It is a generally accepted part of the bro-code sensei, duh." He commented, completely serious. Naruto adopted the serious tone too.

"And we must abide by the bro-code." He noted. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell is the 'bro-code'?" he asked cautiously. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not. Ryou nodded gravely,

"It is an ancient set of rules, set down by our ancestors to show us the way of truly manly friendships without mushy crap." He intoned. The ANBU picked it up,

"Praise be the bros. Praise be." He chanted, still completely serious. Kakashi took a wary step back.

"I don't know what's more weird. The fact that there _is_ a bro-code or the fact that you two are worshipping it as if it was actually important." He commented. Naruto adopted a shocked expression and made the sign of the cross with his fingers, aiming it at the older ninja as though to ward him off. Sakura giggled. Sasuke raised his other eyebrow.

"Sacrilege!" he announced loudly. Ryou nodded, a scowl of agreement in place, although his lips were twitching.

"Thou shalt not doubt the most sacred bro-code!" he agreed, equally as loud, pumping his fist.

Sakura covered her mouth to stop her giggles.

"Boys are so weird." She commented. Then she realised what she'd just said. Her eyes widened. "Not you though Sasuke! You're not weird..." she trailed off, looking dreamy.

Ryou made gagging noises and Naruto snorted.

Sasuke twitched.

* * *

><p>Sakura stared up at the dark ceiling of her room. Being the only girl, she shared a room with Tsunami while her two male teammates shared one across from her and Kakashi and Ran in another.<p>

She couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and tried to force her mind to go blank. It wasn't working. Sighing, she rubbed her tired eyes but before she could snuggle further into her blankets, she heard a noise from outside. Sitting up, she made her way shakily to the window, looking outside blearily.

Seeing nothing but hearing the noise again, she threw on her clothes as fast as she could, grabbed a kunai and crept out. She thought about waking someone else, but decided not to. After all, what if it was just an animal, then she'd look stupid.

Making her way into the dark cluster of trees, she shivered. The night was damp and cold, the trees being thrown into sharp relief by the light of the half moon.

She could hear the sound getting louder. The noise was familiar but she couldn't place it. Suddenly, she spotted a small light to her left. Kunai raised, she made her way towards it, her heart hammering in her chest.

Breaking out of the trees she stifled a relieved gasp.

Ran was there, kneeling on the leafy floor. A small flaming torch provided dim, flickering light.

She lowered her kunai.

"Ran! I thought you were an enemy, what are you doing out here?" she asked, her body relaxing.

Instead of answering, he held up a single hand, asking for silence. Slightly taken aback, she did as she was asked. She studied the ANBU in the dim light.

He was on one knee, his head bowed and completely still. In front of him were six small patches of fresh earth barely visible in the shadow.

After a moment he straightened and turned to her. He was still wearing his ANBU mask and it looked sinister in the torchlight.

"Ran?" she asked quietly, tentative.

"Sorry for ignoring you." He said suddenly.

"It's alright." She said softly, "What were you doing?"

He seemed to be looking straight into her eyes, even though she couldn't see his own. She felt a little cowed by the intensity.

"Saying a prayer for the wicked."

She was surprised.

"I think they deserved it." She muttered.

"Not them," he cut in, having heard her. She looked up, confused. "For me."

He didn't explain further. Instead, he gestured to the piles of earth.

"Each seed is for the soul of a man." He said. Then he turned to her. "Nobody is pure evil. Nobody. There are people who may be close, and there are those who are beyond redemption, but none that are less than human." He said softly, looking at her intently. "I may kill and I may be seen as a monster in the eyes of some, but I do what I do for a reason. Always remember, your reasons are never better than anyone else's."

"But that can't be true!" she protested. "Some people's reasons are things like money or power, not to protect the innocent!"

He nodded.

"True. But in their eyes, their reasons are just as valid as yours. Understand that."

She was silent for a moment, thinking. After a second, she nodded reluctantly.

"You don't have to empathise with them, in fact it's best that you don't." He said. "But never dismiss a man's reasons as insignificant."

She nodded again, then spoke.

"How could anyone see you as a monster? You're not some mindless killing machine, you're a nice person!"

He laughed softly.

"Thank you for the compliment." He sobered. "But just think. What if one of the men I killed had a son? He'd be about, nine say. And he hears the news that his beloved, doting father is dead, killed by some masked shinobi for reasons he can't understand." His voice grew even softer. "His dad isn't going to tuck come home to tuck him in at night and read him a story before he goes to sleep, he won't be able to give him that picture he drew, because he's not coming home. Dad won't play with him in the garden anymore, or give him rides on his shoulders. Do you understand?"

Sakura could feel tears brimming in her eyes and blinked furiously. She saw the ANBU walk forward slowly and pass her, but as he did, he paused. He put a warm, gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Everything is relative Sakura. Humility is a shinobi's best weapon and arrogance is his greatest weakness." The tenseness of the atmosphere disappeared and the ANBU's voice became less heavy. "At least, that's _my_ take on it."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving her alone in the gloom. Robotically, she extinguished the flaming torch and made her way back to the house. If she had been less preoccupied, she would have thought it odd the ANBU had left her on her own. And if she had been less preoccupied, she might have seen the shadowy figure following her, keeping her safe.

* * *

><p>Sasuke discreetly observed his female teammate. Sakura was quieter, more reserved and apparently deep in thought. She hadn't attempted to hug him, or even ask him on a date. As pleasant as this reprieve was, it confused him. And a confused Sasuke was an unhappy Sasuke.<p>

"Sakura?" he asked quietly, dropping in step with her. "Are you alright?"

He assumed it had been about the incident a few days ago, when she had come back from guarding the bridge pale and shaking from adrenaline. They had spotted their ANBU teammate speaking to their sensei, the blood splatter on his mask stark in their minds. She had told them everything and the night had been quiet.

She looked up sharply, as though he'd startled her.

"Sasuke! Yes, yes, I'm fine." She said absently.

"Are you sure?" he pried.

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. It wasn't a flirty smile, or a obsessive one, but something else.

"Yes. I was just thinking on some advice someone gave me. It's an... epiphany I suppose." She said, bushing slightly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

She got a faraway look and he listened carefully.

"Everything is relative. Humility is a shinobi's best weapon, and arrogance is his greatest weakness."

She fell back into thinking and Sasuke was left with her words. Ryou was up ahead, talking with Kakashi. Sasuke watched him absently, his mind on Sakura's advice.

Kakashi had hinted at something similar. He had something to think on.

* * *

><p><em>End Chapter<em>

_Like it? I hope so. By the way, the pairing will NOT be NarutoSakura. Just to be clear on that one._


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